Field of Endeavor
The present disclosure relates to the field of pipeline monitoring and protection, and, more particularly, a pipeline leakage protection vault system.
Brief Description of the Related Art
Pipelines are most significant mode for transporting fluid fuels, such as Oil and Gas; equally significant is its monitoring and protection from various unwanted issues, such as leakage, theft etc. Such unwanted issues directly or indirectly affect the oil and gas communities and environment throughout the world. In Nigeria alone, for instance, oil pipeline theft reduces output by approximately 15% per annum representing a loss of $7 billion plus. Due to the sensitivity of these thefts, the true figure may be even greater than the considerable 16,083 recorded pipeline breaks in the last decade. Similarly, leakage in the pipelines is great threat to environment, which badly affects surrounding and living beings around the leakage area.
Various efforts in past 50 years have been made from time to time to overcome with such unwanted issues on selected region basis across the pipelines path, using methods or tools, such as conducting statistical analysis, or doing airborne reconnaissance, or regular pressure monitoring of the pipelines, Computational Pipeline Monitoring (CPM) software, etc. Further, such methods and tools are limiting in respect of what factor are required to be monitored in which region of the pipeline, for which an exhaustive separate analysis are made on the pipes before its installation. For example, if the pipe in a pipeline is required to be installed in pressure sensitive areas, such as in deep sea or ocean or above the hills, then pipe is required to be tested various pressure tests before installation. After installation, such pipes are installed with such CPM software that are capable of regularly monitoring pressure. In such event, other parameter relating to pipeline in those area may be ignore, which risks the pipeline failure due other factor that may not be assumed or ignored. It means that the presently available pipelines are always lacks integrity in terms of risk due to various unknown factor that may also result to pipeline leakage, failure or theft at any portion of the entire pipeline.
Furthermore, wherever, such method or tools are installed along the pipelines are generally utilized as data collection tools or method which sends all the collected data to a specific data centers for its processing, which increase the load on the data center and delays the information relevant to the pipeline.
In all that regard to above problems very little innovation has taken place in the pipeline integrity, where the entire pipeline is prevented or monitored on the regular basis and that also reduces such delays in generating data and reducing load on the central servers. This is largely due to the fact pipelines were new and risks were determined to be low. In addition, the values of oil or gas were relatively low, at around $10 per barrel, which made pipeline theft virtually non-existent. The world today now has a far different landscape as the price of oil and gas per barrel hovers around $100. Because of the changes, the oil and gas industry is desperate to address the massive financial losses and environmental degradation that are associated with both pipeline theft and leakage. In addition, the pipeline industry is grappling with mounting regulatory pressures.
Even if by all the measures irrespective of complexity of the any such available tools or method may at one time consider to be satisfactory in arranging and sending any relevant information in an event of leakage, it fails to however, stop such leakage instantly. Whatever time that is required to stop the leakage of the fluid results wastage of fluid and pollution to the environment.
Unfortunately the lack of innovation and effective investment in research and development to address these issues has meant the solutions 20 years ago are no different to the ones offered today by servicing companies. Accordingly, there exists a need innovation in relation to the pipeline integrity, where the entire pipeline is prevented or monitored on the regular basis and that also reduces such delays in generating data and reducing load on the central servers; and at the same time may be capable of avoiding such leakage of the fluids to environment.